Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday inaugurated a high-performance hockey centre named Naval Tata Hockey Academy (NTHA), Odisha here to groom hockey talents in the State into future national and international players.
The NTHA was opened as part of the three-pronged Tata Odisha Hockey Programme, a joint initiative of Tata Steel, Tata Trusts and the State Government to nurture sports talents.
The sports hostels in Bhubaneswar, Sundargarh and Rourkela would become the Regional Development Centres (RDCs), where experts would work to further enhance their efficiency and excellence.
Ten to 20 grassroots centers would initially be established in Sambalpur and Sundargarh districts.
The talents scouted from the grassroots centers would be recommended for admission into the sports hostels. Among others, Sports and Youth Services Minister Tusharkanti Behera and Tata Steel MD TV Narendran were present.
The NTHA will operate from the existing infrastructure that was set up to host the Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2018 here.